Suntory Beverage & Food, the company behind Ribena, has announced a £200,000 investment in research aimed at helping UK blackcurrant crops become more resilient to increasingly extreme weather.
The funding comes as this year's harvest gets under way across Britain's main blackcurrant-producing regions, including Scotland, with growers expecting yields to fall by around 10% compared with the long-term average of 10,000 tonnes.
A succession of difficult weather conditions has put crops under pressure throughout the season. Growers faced one of the wettest winters on record in some areas, delaying field operations such as pruning and weed control, before localised frosts and hail affected bushes in the spring.
More recently, prolonged hot weather and limited rainfall during June and July have caused fruit scorching, smaller berries and premature fruit drop in some areas.
Agronomist at Suntory Beverage & Food, Harriet Prosser said: "Every year, there seems to be another weather record. Following last year's drought, growers have experienced one of the wettest winters on record, localised frosts and hail during spring, and now intense summer heat. It has been an exceptionally challenging season for blackcurrant bushes."
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The investment will support a joint project between Suntory, the Blackcurrant Foundation and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), with researchers investigating how healthier soils can help blackcurrant bushes cope with periods of environmental stress.
Trials at NIAB's East Malling site will assess whether organic materials, including wool, pasteurised manures and green waste products, can improve soil organic matter, moisture retention and nutrient cycling. Researchers will also measure their impact on bush establishment, vigour, fruit quality and yields.
Chair of the Blackcurrant Foundation and a Herefordshire grower, Jo Hilditch said the project was focused on safeguarding the future of British production.
"It's about ensuring British blackcurrant production continues to thrive for generations to come," she said.
Reflecting on the changing climate, she added: "As growers, we're incredibly resilient, but there's no doubt we're farming in a very different climate from even a decade ago. Every season now seems to bring a new challenge, whether it's prolonged wet weather, late frosts or intense summer heat."
Hilditch said growers in traditionally wetter parts of the country may also need to consider investing in reservoirs and irrigation to help crops through increasingly frequent dry periods.
The latest research builds on previous work by growers and Suntory to develop blackcurrant varieties better suited to warmer winters, helping secure future production as weather patterns continue to change.
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